HOLIDAY HOTLIST

TRUNKS

Stripy trunks with a nod to the Seventies from the new loungewear brand. £50; lesgirls lesboys.com

GAME ON

Battle it out on the beach with this wooden family game set from Overmont games. £13.99, amazon.co.uk House, the magical afternoon Amelie and I spent at Peep Out Training Yard and Long Rock beach swimming with horses, nor our sea safari to Seal Island – or, for that matter, our morning’s surf lesson with an expert and impassioned instructor on Porthmeor Beach. (Though Amelie outclassing me during her inaugural hour in the surf very nearly threatened to, as I came up from a spectacular wipeout to see her speeding past like a pro).

What’s more, a spot of rain apparently “‘gave my husband the impetus” to explore the art galleries hidden around the windy streets above the harbour, for the first time with an intrigued Charley in tow, and a visit that seemed to inspire him ahead of our own pottery workshop at Leach’s Pottery, which is considered by many to be the birthplace of

British studio pottery.

Who knew we were a family of budding potters? Not I – but during the afternoon we spent learning about the history of the pottery and trying

MULES

Twist on a classic, cotton heritage mules by Alexa Chung for Superga. £72; superga.co.uk

SWEAT SHIRT

Spell it out with celebrity favourite brand Off Duty’s slogan sweatshirt. £40; offdutyuk.com

our hand at our own, it turns out we all have a passion that we’ve continued since returning home.

And the carefully packaged hand-fired creations that arrived in the post a few weeks later provided not only the excitement of A PARCEL but a salutary reminder of our wonderful time.

And what of the evenings, complete with the novelty of walking home? From the world-famous beachside fare, watching the (real) surfers at Porthmeor Café, eagle-eyed dolphin spotting at Porthgwidden Café, to the harbourside burgers and milkshakes at Hub St Ives and fish and chips on the harbour, there’s a reason foodies flock to the region. We were so hard pushed to find time for a cream tea we had to fit one in for breakfast.

But confession time. Our two favourite meals were (wait for it) AT HOME (our Compass House home). Even the best eateries, it seems, can’t compensate for home-cooked pizza eaten with THAT VIEW and washed down with some local red. And when you’ve only got to walk 20 yards to bed, there’s definitely no need for a taxi home.

* For any interested parties, the dog count reached 216. If you want a breed breakdown, I can put you directly in touch with my children.

We were so hard pushed to find time for a cream tea that we had to fit one in for breakfast